Instructions: "In Middle Eastern countries breakfast is a big meal that includes grains, beans, and vegetables, dishes most of us wouldnt think of eating in the morning, such as hummus and ful (beans), falafels, other Middles Eastern salads, and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, and onions, These hearty breakfasts stick to the ribs all day, and often one does not eat again until the evening meal."

Wash and dry the herbs. Chop them coarsely with a knife, not in a machine (you dont want them so fine that they dont absorb the egg and swell!).

Beat the eggs in a large bowl.Mix in th herbs, pine nuts, and currants, salt and pepper to taste, and saffron, cover and set aside for 1 to 2 hours in a cool place. If you store it in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature before cooking.

To cook, heat a deep, wide lidded nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Stir the egg mixture briskly and pour into the pan. Turn the flame to low and cook, lifting the edges and turning the pan until the omelet cooks on the bottom, like a Spanish omelet. Cover the pan, place on a Flame-Tamer or asbestos pad if the flame seems too high (you dont want the bottom of the omelet to stick and burn before its cooked through), and cook 20 minutes or until set but still a little runny on the top.

Bring to the table and serve in wedges, pass salt and pepper. Serve a big green salad on the side. Leftovers will keep two days in the refrigerator.

NOTES : A coucou is the Iranian version of a flat omelet, like a Spanish tortilla. This one is filled with a garden of parsley and mint and contains pine nuts, currants, and a little saffron. Ive had coucous with other herbs, notable fresh chervil and they are marvelous with the fresh soft walnuts you an buy in the fall. The eggs just barely set, and the herbs remain crunchy and fragrant. The omelet is even better served cold, a day later, the herbs hod their color and texture, so it makes great picnic fare.

Its important to mix together the eggs and filling ingredients an hour or more before you cook the coucou. This gives the herbs time to swell - and dont chop them too fine. Accompany with a big green salad.

You can cut the quantities in half and use a smaller frying pan if you want a smaller coucou.

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